


I'm Only Human

by RavenpuffWrites



Series: I'm Only Human [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Body Dysphoria, Gen, Mentioned Conversion Therapy, Poor Roman just doesn't believe in himself, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Sort of implied crushes??? Like Roman low key likes them all, a little??, ace! Patton, he also hates the way he looks, mentioned Homophobia, mentioned transphobia, sort of hurt/comfort?, trans! Roman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 20:57:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15826794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenpuffWrites/pseuds/RavenpuffWrites
Summary: "I can fake a smileI can force a laughI can dance and play the partIf that’s what you askGive you all I am"Roman pretended like everything was okay. But inside, he was falling apartEdit: Now with a prequel/sequel chat fic





	I'm Only Human

**Author's Note:**

> "But I’m only human  
> And I bleed when I fall down  
> I’m only human  
> And I crash and I break down  
> Your words in my head, knives in my heart  
> You build me up and then I fall apart"  
> ...
> 
> Part of this fic includes chat, so for reference:  
> Logan is Disaster-Gay  
> Virgil is panic-at-the-everywhere  
> Patton is Ace-Of-Cakes  
> Roman is Romano-Cheesy

Roman Prince was first and foremost, an actor: On stage and off. He performed in dozens of shows from the time he was little, all the way up until the end of 10th grade, when he got outed by someone he thought was a friend as trans, and backlash from the student body and their parents kept him from ever being able to safely step onto the stage again. Offstage well... his whole life off stage was an act, wasn’t it? Pretending for years upon years to be the perfect daughter his parents thought him to be, acting like their rejection of him for being trans didn’t hurt him, that he wasn’t slowly breaking under the scrutiny of dozens of doctors and therapist who tried to convince him there was something wrong, like the weeks spent at conversion camp when he was 17 didn’t drive him so close to the edge that the only way for him to stay alive was by running away.

It had been a mistake. Running away had shown his parents a weakness, and when Roman came home they had made it clear: either he would start acting like the daughter they expected him to be, or they would send him somewhere worse that he couldn’t escape. Every day spent pretending only broke Roman a little more, but he learned very quickly not to show. He could fake a smile, force a laugh, play the part of the perfect daughter his parents expected. It wasn’t like he had a choice anyway, not as long as he was living with them.

As soon as he turned 18, Roman took his things and walked away from his parent's house for the last time, leaving behind everything he had pretended to be for so long, all of the hate and the pain and the fear that had defined his life in the past two years. He moved into his college apartment early and made friends with his soon to be roommates over text and tried so desperately to forget everything that had happened before that moment.

Roman was sure that if pretended for long enough that he had moved on, that maybe... maybe one day he would finally be able to. He knew that it didn’t work that way, that you don’t get over trauma like what he had faced in a matter of weeks, and scars don’t heal if you only ignore them, but even if he had wanted to Roman wasn’t entirely sure he could bring himself to talk about what happened.

The last time he had let someone see him weak, see him vulnerable, was when his mom found him on the side of the road after he had run away from that  _ hell _ . He broke down in tears as he begged her not to send him back, promised to do anything to just get away from there, and she had taken advantage of how broken he was by forcing him back into a lifestyle that only made him hate himself more and more every day.

Roman had sworn to himself he would never let anyone see him weak again after that moment. He would keep on pretending that everything was okay, that he was invincible, put together, that nothing in this world could hurt him and like he hadn’t been shattered into something almost unrecognizable by his past.

The thing is though, when you try to pretend like everything was okay, it only leads to a bigger fallout when you finally broke completely.

The cracks in Roman’s mask had been spreading ever since he left home, ever since he had started talking to his roommates and the four of them grew quickly into a tight-knit group of friends even though they had only ever texted each other (except for Virgil and Patton, who had met while on vacation and found out they only lived a few hours apart, meaning they got together quite frequently).

Every time they talked, Roman found it was harder and harder to just keep pretending like everything was okay. The others were always so honest, so open with their feelings, their struggles, and Roman felt guilty every time he dodged a question about his past, or lied and said he was doing great even on the days he hated himself so much he almost didn’t want to exist.

It hurt to lie to them, but faced with the alternative Roman wasn’t sure he could stomach telling them the truth. Even if they didn’t use his own vulnerability to their advantage, he was sure they would walk away as soon as they realized that he was broken beyond any hope. Roman couldn’t bear the thought of losing them, not when Patton, Virgil, and Logan had become the first good thing Roman had had in years. They were the only thing that kept him going some days, and he was terrified of what might happen when they were gone.

Roman knew one day that the mask was going to shatter completely and the others would finally see who he truly was and there was nothing he would be able to do to stop it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to put it off as long as possible.

When it finally did happen, it wasn’t at all how Roman had expected it to go.

It started when Logan had sent his daily reminder to all of them that move was in exactly 8 days (well, more or less anyway), along with his list of other daily reminders he had started sending out since the four of them had started talking. It had already been a bad day for Roman (and it had hardly even begun). Nightmares had kept him from getting much sleep before he had to get up for work, and then just as he was about to leave his boss had called and told him to come in a few hours later than normal because she needed him to cover for one of their afternoon waitresses for a few hours, meaning he had gotten up at 6 am for absolutely nothing. Then there was just the regular stress from the fact that classes were starting soon and he needed to make sure the apartment was spotless before the others moved in, all on top of his normal stress of trying to keep up his act that everything was okay despite the fact it was getting harder and harder to pretend with each passing day.

So Roman wasn’t feeling the greatest when the conversation started. He should have realized then that it was only going to get worse from there. If he had, maybe he would have been able to stop the mask from crumbling completely.

* * *

**Ace-of-Cakes:** I can’t believe we’re actually going to meet in just over a week! I can’t wait to see all of you a wrap you in a big ol’ Pattoned Patton hug

**Disaster-Gay:** Was that... a self-referential pun?

**Ace-of-Cakes:** Mayyyybee

**Disaster-Gay:** You need to stop

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** if you think its bad now lo just wait until you meet him

**Romano-Cheesy:** I still think it’s unfair that you got to meet Patton first

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** why is that Princey

**Romano-Cheesy:** because there’s no possible way you could appreciate his hugs as much as me

**Romano-Cheesy:** so the fact you got to have one first is really really unfair

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** jealous?

**Romano-Cheesy:** Of an emo nightmare like you? As if.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Now kiddos, there’s no need to fight. There’s plenty of Patton hugs for everyone to share.

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** what if i don’t want to share

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Virgil! I am surprised at you!

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** still?

**Disaster-Gay:** I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. It is just a hug.

**Romano-Cheesy:** just a hug?

**Romano-Cheesy:** juST A hUG?!

**Disaster-Gay:** That is what I said, yes.

**Romano-Cheesy:** It is not JUST a hug, Logan! It is so much more than that.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Yeah, it’s a Pattoned Patton Hug, they’re special!

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** it really is

**Romano-Cheesy:** Besides, it’s going to be the first time we meet. Isn’t that exciting at all to you, Logan?

**Disaster-Gay:** I suppose, but haven’t we technically already met considering we have been talking for the past weeks?

**Romano-Cheesy:** That’s not the same! We haven’t met in person, we haven’t seen each other's faces, heck we haven’t even heard each other's voices yet!

**Romano-Cheesy:** It’s like we practically don’t even know each other!

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** i dont know i think i have a pretty good idea what you sound like princey

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** annoying and loud

Roman inhaled sharply as soon as he read Virgil’s message, a stabbing pain shooting through his heart at the words, which cut far deeper than was surely intended.  _ Virgil’s only joking,  _ Roman reminded himself, blinking back the tears that had filled his eyes as he tried to convince himself that was the truth.  _ It was only a joke. But then if that was the case, why did it seem to hurt so much more? _

Roman shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts, taking a deep breath, his well-practiced mask slipping back into place as he slowly released it. He was fine. Virgil had only been joking, and besides even if he wasn’t his words didn’t bother Roman at all.

Once he was sure he was composed again, he turned back to the conversation that had continued on without him.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Now kiddo that isn’t a very nice thing to say. I’m sure Roman has a perfectly lovely voice.

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** says you

**Disaster-Gay:** Well considering Roman’s past in theater and performing, I would say that statistically, he is likely to have an at least somewhat pleasant voice otherwise he is likely to not have been so successful

**Disaster-Gay:** Regardless, there is a simple way for us to fix this.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Ooh, how so?

**Disaster-Gay:** We call each other. This way we will be able to hear each other's voices and find out whether or not Virgil is correct about how Roman sounds.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** That sounds like a great idea!!

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** it sounds like a horrible idea

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** We should make it a face call!! That way we can see what everyone looks like

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** that sounds even worse

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Oh, and Roman can show us what the apartment looks like!

**Disaster-Gay:** I am rather curious to see where we will be staying

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** ... i hate you

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Does that mean you’ll do it?

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** if princey agrees then fine

**Disaster-Gay:** Roman? Are you opposed to us having a video phone call and giving a tour of the apartment?

**Romano-Cheesy:** That sounds like a wonderful idea!

_ It sounded like a horrible idea.  _ A face call? A tour of the apartment? Roman hadn’t even had time to clean yet, and even his concealer struggled to hide the bags under his eyes. And what if they started asking personal questions? Roman had a hard enough time keeping it together over text when they started talking about stuff, how in the world was he going to act like everything was okay if they could hear the shake in his voice and see the tears running down his face.

But it wasn’t like he could just say no without them questioning it. He could at least try and buy himself a little more time to get ready.

**Romano-Cheesy:** It would have to wait until after work of course, but I would love to give you all the grand tour of our apartment.

**Romano-Cheesy:** If we make the call around 7, I could show you the sunset which looks absolutely stunning from our balcony   


**Ace-Of-Cakes:** That sounds like a great idea Roman! And it means I can work until closing at the shelter and spend more time with the animals.

**Disaster-Gay:** So long as you stay away from the cats.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** But they’re soooooo cute!!

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** patton

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** you are my best friend but i swear to god if i have to drive two hours in the dark because you were with the cats again...

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** fine. I’ll stick with the dogs.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** But only because I get to talk to you guys afterward and you’re better than any cat!

**Disaster-Gay:** Are we all agreed then to a video call at 7:00 this evening?

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** i guess

**Romano-Cheesy:** It  _ was _ my idea, so yes

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Yes!!!! I can’t wait either, ahhh it’s going to be so exciting.

**Disaster-Gay:** It’s settled then. Patton, since this was your idea would you like to be the one to initiate the call?

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Oh I would love to! Except... I kind of don’t actually know how to.

**Disaster-Gay:** You... Don’t know how to?

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Not a clue

**panic-at-the-everywhere:** i honestly cant tell if hes joking or...

**Disaster-Gay:** It doesn’t matter. I’ll make the call. At least this way we can be certain it will happen on time.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** I feel like you just insulted me a bit.

**Disaster-Gay:** It was less of an insult and more of a general observation. You, as well as the others in this chat for that matter, often struggle quite a bit to be on time.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** :(

**Disaster-Gay:** Patton, I was not insulting   
you

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** :(((((((((((((((((((((((

**Disaster-Gay:** Patton...

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** :(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

**Disaster-Gay:** Patton!

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** :((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Yes Logan?

**Disaster-Gay:** Although it was not my intention, I apologize if I have hurt your feelings.

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** Apology accepted! :)

**Disaster-Gay:** Don’t start

**Ace-Of-Cakes:** fiiiiiiine

* * *

Roman got home from work later than he had expected to, thanks to the 45-minute lecture he got from a customer about how they didn’t “agree with his lifestyle” and how he “shouldn’t be allowed to work around children” because he was a “threat to society”. When Roman’s manager attempted to step in and settle the situation the customer only got angrier, especially because Valerie refused to fire Roman on the spot just because he was trans. While it was nice to have someone on his side, Roman almost wished she had simply left it alone instead of dragging it out for even longer. It was the end of his shift, he was tired, and all he wanted to do was go home and curl up under the covers and pretend like the day had never happened.

Not that Roman could just crawl into bed even when he did finally get home, no matter how tempting of an idea it was. Logan was supposed to call in just a couple of hours and the apartment was in no shape to be seen by anyone else. It wasn’t in the full-on disaster mode that came whenever Roman got wrapped up in one of his projects (which hadn’t happened in over a year, not since he was sent  _ there,  _ not since he traded who he was for the price of his life. Just another part of him that had gotten lost behind the mask he wore). He had managed to keep up at least with small tasks, like taking out the trash and for the most part keeping the dishes clean, but it had been weeks since he had had the energy or motivation to really feel like vacuuming or mopping the floor, he hadn’t done laundry in nearly two weeks and he hadn’t cleaned his room since he moved in. Not to mention the fact that the doors to the other three bedrooms had been sealed shut since before he moved in and were definitely in need of some serious cleaning.

He had planned on spreading out the cleaning over the next week and take it room by room until finally it was all clean before it was time for the others to move in. But with Logan set to call at 7 pm, Roman only had two hours to rush through as much of the cleaning as he possibly could. If he hadn't wanted to sleep for three years before, by the time he finally quit to take a shower he most certainly did. He was still standing under the hot water when he heard his phone start to ring (definitely not half asleep) and had to quickly rush to dry himself off and get dressed. By the time he finally accepted the call, the other three were already mid-conversation about Patton’s day at the shelter, though that stopped the second that they noticed Roman had joined.

“-Oh look! Roman’s here! Hi Roman!” Even having never talked to them before, Roman knew in an instant that the first one to speak had to be Patton. His smile was like the embodiment of sunshine, and Roman could practically feel the warmth radiating off of him from here. The curly dirty blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and the smattering of freckles across his face only added to the look, and Roman felt his heart skip a beat as he took it all in.

“About time you showed up, asshole.” If Patton was the embodiment of sunshine, then Virgil was the exact opposite. His dark brown eyes were partially obscured by the purple fringe that fell into his face, and dark eyeshadow was smeared underneath them (Virgil truly lived up to his name as an emo nightmare, it seemed). There was a playful smirk on his lips that gave away he was mostly joking despite the annoyed tone he had spoken in, and the butterflies in Roman’s stomach settled just slightly at the realization that Virgil wasn’t actually mad. “We were beginning to think you ditched us.”

“Virgil thought you ditched us.” Patton corrected almost immediately, frowning for just a moment in his direction before he locked eyes with Roman again, smiling as he added: “I told him that you probably just got caught up in something and would be here as soon as you could.”

“And it seems as if Patton is correct. Judging by your wet hair, I assume you just came from the shower?” Logan was the last one to speak, and when Roman finally turned to look at the oldest of their quartet, he felt his breath catch in his throat slightly at the intensity with which Logan was staring back at him. His dark green eyes were searching Roman’s face calculatingly, his lips turned down just slightly in concern the longer he stared. Roman cleared his throat quietly and looked pointedly away from Logan before answering.

“Uh yes, I was in the middle of taking a shower when you called,” Roman admitted, trying not to wince at the high pitch of his voice compared to theirs (God Virgil was right to call his voice annoying, Roman hated it). “I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten, guess I just lost track of time.”

Okay, so maybe that was a lie. But there was no way for them to know that. At this point lying was almost second nature, no matter how much he hated it. It was all part of the act he kept up every day of his life. Roman forced a smile before any of them could call him out just in case (The frown on Logan’s face had only deepened and Roman was almost certain that he had seen straight through his lie), and quickly changed the subject by asking if they wanted a tour of the apartment.

Roman’s grateful for how quickly they all agree, if for no other reason than it allowed him to turn the camera away from himself for a while, giving him time to try and pull himself together without the others staring him down. Besides, at least this way he could look at the others without having to see himself as well and be reminded of just how much he hated the way that he looked.

Patton’s excited chattering about everything he saw, and about all the plans of things they could do once they moved in together made it so Roman didn’t have to say much even as the one giving the tour, although there were a few things he made sure to point out like the fact they only had one bathroom or there was a false back in the hall closet that led into a room he hadn’t actually entered yet, but that he was pretty sure was probably filled with spiders (Hence the reason he hadn’t entered, Logan was the only one who seemed to think it was a good idea to explore it at all). The most stunning part of the tour, of course, was the sunset, which thanks to the position of their balcony meant that it set over a small lake allowing the light to dance off the water and create a breathtaking view.

Silence fell over them all for several minutes as they watched, until finally, Logan broke it to explain exactly why the setting sun made the sky change colors and what made it so attractive to humans to the point it was often used as a romantic setting. Roman eventually sat down, legs dangling between the bars as Logan spoke, resting his head against the railing and keeping his camera pointed towards the lake even after the sun had set and the topic had begun to shift towards other settings humans often designated as romantic. Listening to the three talk Roman felt himself slowly nodding off to sleep, and was only jerked awake suddenly by the sound of someone calling his name.

“Roman, kiddo, are you still there?” Patton asked, concern lacing his voice and when Roman focused again on the screen he noticed all three of the boys were now staring at him with various amounts of concern and confusion on their faces. “You still have the camera turned off of you so we can’t actually tell if you left or not, and you haven’t said anything in a while.”

“I’m still here Patton,” Roman said softly, taking a deep breath and putting on what he hoped was a convincing fake smile before turning the camera back around, lifting his phone so that his face came into view for the others. “Sorry, I got wrapped in my thoughts for a moment there. Watching the sunset tends to do that to me.”

“Aw there’s no need to apologize kiddo, it happens to all of us.” Patton smiled reassuringly, sharing a concerned glance with Virgil and Logan when he thought Roman wasn’t looking. “We were just worried about you is all.”

“Indeed. You seemed to be in quite deep thought considering it took several tries to get your attention.” Logan agreed, his voice calm but still it sent chills down Roman’s back, and he bit his lip in an attempt to keep from shuddering in response. Logan fell silently as he slowly looked Roman over with his piercing stare, which softened just slightly when he finally said “Roman, you look exhausted. When was the last time you had a decent night’s sleep?”

“I’m fine,” Roman lied, averting his gaze from the camera in favor of looking up towards the night sky, letting out a shaky breath as he tried to keep himself together for just a little bit longer. “It’s just been a long day at work, shitty customers, you know how that goes.”

“Are you sure that’s the only thing bothering you kiddo?” Patton asked, and Roman had to bit his lip to keep from spilling it all right then and there. Instead, he nodded his head, forcing another smile onto his face before he looked back down at the others just in time to see them sharing another look of concern and disbelief.

“I’m fine,” Roman repeated, more force behind his words this time, but it did nothing to sway the others into believing them any more than the first time he said it. But he didn’t give them time to argue before he added: “And even if I wasn’t, it really isn’t something I want to talk about so can we please just move on to something else?”

Roman hated to snap at them, especially when they were only trying to be good friends and help him out, but he didn’t want their help. Not if it meant letting down the walls he had so desperately built to keep himself safe, allowing them to see him vulnerable and weak after he promised never to do that again. He didn’t want, didn’t need their help in knowing that he was broken beyond repair. He had already learned that years ago.

They didn’t seem happy about it, but thankfully the other three seemed to realize how serious Roman was and allowed the conversation to drift to other topics. Slowly Roman found himself starting to relax again as they talked about last minute preparations, how their family and friends felt about them leaving, what classes they were excited to take at some point and the things they were most nervous about starting college. Roman was just starting to think that he might make it through the phone call without any more incidents when almost out of the blue Patton asked

“Did you know that the theater department is putting on Beauty and the Beast for its musical this semester? We should all go see it together, I bet it’ll be really fun.”

Roman froze, his eyes widening slightly at Patton’s words, a sick feeling washing over him at the thought. It had been over two years since he had last been in a theater having every last one of his dreams crushed as the drama teacher told him it was too dangerous for him to perform at school now that he was outed, and that he would never find a part for himself anyways on a professional stage. Acting had been his entire life up until that moment, and when it was taken away Roman found himself unable to stand even the thought of spending a single minute in another theater. Especially if it was in the audience.

“Please Patton, you know Princey’s going to be on stage with all the rest of those nerds.” Virgil scoffed, oblivious to the thoughts swirling around in Roman’s mind at that very moment, rolling his eyes. “He practically bleeds Disney movies, there’s no way he wouldn’t try to land at least some sort of role. He could probably play the Beast just on his ability to recite the lines from memory alone.”

“Actually, dialogue and songs in movies often differ from what you see performed on a stage,” Logan replied, adjusting his glasses casually as he turned to look at Roman, an almost fond look in his eyes as he continued. “However, I do believe you are correct in the fact that Roman very easily could secure the role of Prince Adam. Of course I do not know any of the other actors who will be trying out for the role admittedly, however, I sincerely doubt any of them hold as much enthusiasm or love for Disney as Roman does, and passion alone is very beneficial in landing a role.”

“How the hell do you know that?” Virgil asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at Logan who merely shrugged, responding “I told you that my cousin performs at the local theater quite often. I have sat in on many auditions with him since I was young and have picked up quite a few things in the process.”

Roman was hardly paying attention to the conversation anymore; his mind was racing far too much trying to understand what had been said in the past few minutes to process anything else. Virgil and Logan both really thought that he could get the part of Adam if he decided to audition for the musical. But why? They had never heard him sing, seen him act, sure they knew that he loved Disney but that alone didn’t qualify as enough of a reason for him to get a part in a play. He didn’t have the voice, didn’t have the face or the body or the anything to play Prince Adam, even if he could recite every line of dialogue perfectly there was no way he would ever look the part.  

Eventually, his curiosity got the best of him, and before Roman could stop himself he blurted out “Do you really think that I would have a chance to play Prince Adam?”

Whatever conversation had been going on before stopped at Roman’s outburst, and almost immediately he wished that he could take it back as confused looks settled on all three faces of his friends.

“I mean yeah, I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” Virgil said slowly after a moment, eying Roman curiously as he tried to understand the source of his sudden question. “Like Logan said, I doubt anyone loves Disney as much you.”

“Statistically you have just as good of a chance as anyone else who tries out,” Logan added, his eyebrows furrowing just slightly as he scanned Roman’s face yet again, and Roman wondered if he saw anything different this time because after a moment his eyes widened just slightly in realization. “Do you not think you have a chance?”

“No!” Roman replied, the answer spilling out of his mouth before he could stop it, shocking even himself as he continued to explain “I mean for one thing I look nothing like Prince Adam! I mean- He’s fucking gorgeous in the movie and I’m- I’m-”

“You’re beautiful.” Patton interrupted, his voice firm and determined, but there was a softness in his eyes as he stared Roman down that made it clear he was only speaking out of love, and Roman couldn’t stop the tears that filled his eyes as Patton repeated. “You are absolutely, 100%, stunningly beautiful.”

“You...You think I’m beautiful?” Roman whispered, his voice soft and disbelieving, like that of a child’s when you tell them something they don’t quite understand. It was enough to make tears start running down Patton’s face, and Roman’s eyes widened in concern over what he had done but before he could apologize Logan added

“You are one of the most handsome men I have had the pleasure of   
Meeting.” Roman wasn’t sure if it was the fierce certainty in Logan’s voice, or maybe just the fact that he had called him handsome, but at that moment he couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and he dropped his phone into his lap so he could cover his face as he began to cry for the first time in a long time, though out of pain or happiness he really wasn’t quite sure.

Well, he wasn’t sure until Virgil added: “You definitely live up to the last name Prince.”

Roman laughed wetly, lifting his head to look back down at his phone, a real smile pulling at the corner of his lips, and softly he said: “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the angst prompt: "I'm beautiful"  
> I'm not entirely satisfied with the ending, to be honest, so I may add more chapters in the future, but no promises. I depends on if I get any more inspiration/have any free time.
> 
> EDIT: Read the chat fic prequel/sequel for more in this au


End file.
